SPICY BARBECUE SAUCE

PERENNIAL BBQ FAVORITES SUCH AS PULLED PORK AND BRISKET ARE EVEN BETTER MOPPED WITH HOMEMADE BARBECUE SAUCE.

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PREP: 1 HOUR COOK: 2 HOURS PROCESS: 20 MINUTES MAKES: 5 HALF-PINTS

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• 12 pounds ripe firm tomatoes
• 3 cups chopped onions (3 large)
• 2¼ cups chopped celery (6 to 7 stalks)
• 2¼ cups chopped red or green sweet peppers (3 medium)
• 3 red hot chile peppers, cored and chopped (see tip)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1½ cups packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Wash tomatoes. Remove stem ends and cores. Cut tomatoes into quarters.

2. Place tomato quarters in a 10- to 12-quart heavy pot. Cook, covered, over low to medium heat about 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Add onions, celery, sweet peppers, chile peppers, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

3. Place a food mill over a large bowl. Ladle tomato mixture into food mill; press mixture through food mill. Discard seeds and skins. Measure 19 cups pulp. Return pulp to kettle. Measure and note depth of mixture with a ruler. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 1¼ hours or until mixture is reduced by half, stirring occasionally. (Depth of mixture should be half of the original measure.)

4. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, mustard, and black pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over low to medium heat about 1 hour or until desired thickness, stirring frequently.

5. Ladle hot sauce into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.

6. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 20 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.

FREEZING DIRECTIONS: Prepare as directed through Step 4. Place kettle of sauce in a sink filled with ice water; stir sauce to cool. Ladle sauce into half-pint wide-top freezer containers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Seal and label. Freeze for up to 10 months.

PER 1 TABLESPOON: 38 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 142 mg sodium, 9 g carb., 1 g fiber, 1 g pro.

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MILLING AROUND

A food mill is an old-fashioned piece of equipment that has stood the test of time. It is essentially a grater for soft foods. It handily removes skin, seeds, and pulp but unlike a food processor or blender, allows some texture to remain in the food. Before purchasing one, be sure of three things:

1. It’s simple to put the plates in the mill and to remove them for cleaning.

2. The handle is firm and easy to grasp.

3. It fits easily over a bowl or pot.